Chemical Engineering students at Ryerson have designed a waste water treatment process using commercially available technology that would remove 90 per cent of pharmaceuticals and "Endocrine-Disrupting Compounds" from the water supply. The presence of drugs in waste-water -- and eventually in municipal drinking water -- is a growing concern, particularly around healthcare facilities where medical drug use is high.
The process, which won an honourable mention at the
2010 Ontario Engineering Competition, uses membrane biological reactors and advanced oxidation process to destroy harmful toxins. There are currently no sewage treatment plants in North America that use a process to adequately remove such toxins.
Kirill Cheiko, one of the four students who designed the process,
said in a statement, "In Canada, the government doesn't enforce the removal of pharmaceutical drugs and EDCs... As a result, municipalities don't currently pursue removal, since it would incur extra expense. That said, it could also potentially reduce healthcare costs."
The students are now seeking funding to test the proposal in a laboratory.
Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Heather Kearney, Public Affairs, Ryerson University
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